fuzzypuzzle

Bruce Lee, Nunchuks, Ping Pong, Nuff Said

Iran: A Nation of Bloggers

Beautifully animated short film about blogging in IRAN.


Iran: A nation of bloggers from Mr.Aaron on Vimeo.

Snoop Dogg, You Are Dead to Me

Minotaur in a China Shop

Minotaur China Shop (Alpha) from Matthew Wegner on Vimeo.

The Ethics of Battlefield Robots

Fascinating article in this morning's Times about the ethical conundrums of developing battlefield robots. Apparently we're pretty far along on this (?!) An excerpt.

In a report to the Army last year, Dr. Arkin described some of the potential benefits of autonomous fighting robots. For one thing, they can be designed without an instinct for self-preservation and, as a result, no tendency to lash out in fear. They can be built without anger or recklessness, Dr. Arkin wrote, and they can be made invulnerable to what he called “the psychological problem of ‘scenario fulfillment,’ ” which causes people to absorb new information more easily if it agrees with their pre-existing ideas.

His report drew on a 2006 survey by the surgeon general of the Army, which found that fewer than half of soldiers and marines serving in Iraq said that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect, and 17 percent said all civilians should be treated as insurgents. More than one-third said torture was acceptable under some conditions, and fewer than half said they would report a colleague for unethical battlefield behavior.

Troops who were stressed, angry, anxious or mourning lost colleagues or who had handled dead bodies were more likely to say they had mistreated civilian noncombatants, the survey said (PDF). (The survey can be read by searching for 1117mhatreport at www.globalpolicy.org.)

“It is not my belief that an unmanned system will be able to be perfectly ethical in the battlefield,” Dr. Arkin wrote in his report (PDF), “but I am convinced that they can perform more ethically than human soldiers are capable of.”

Jeff "the Dude" Bridges Iron Man Photo Blog

Axl Rose Just Makes Us Feel Old

That guy on the left used to bang Stepahnie Seymour. Oh how times have changed.

I am Jack's Complete Lack of Imagination

When companies send films overseas for distribution they often have to re-title the films to help bridge the culture gap. These are the ReTitles for targeted foreign distribution. More over at Den of Geek

CHINA

The Full Monty: Six Naked Pigs

As Good As It Gets: Mr Cat Poop

Boogie Nights: His Great Device Makes Him Famous

Leon: This Hit Man Is Not as Cold as He Thought

Fargo: Mysterious Murder in Snowy Cream

Deep Impact: Earth And Comet Collide

Knocked Up: One Night, Big Belly

Risky Business: Just Send Him To University Unqualified

Free Willy: A Very Powerful Whale Runs To Heaven

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GERMANY

Die Hard With A Vengeance: Die Slowly, Now More Than Ever

Girl, Interrupted: Cuckoo

Annie Hall: The Urban Neurotic

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ITALY:

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind: If You Leave Me, I Delete You

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FRANCE:

The Matrix: The Young People Who Traverse Dimensions While Wearing Sunglasses

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SPAIN:

The Dark Knight: Night Of The Knight

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MEXICO:

Thelma and Louise: An Unexpected End

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DENMARK:

Die Hard With A Vengeance: Die Hard: Mega Hard

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HONG KONG

American Pie : American Virgin Man

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PORTUGAL:

Lost In Translation: Meetings and Failures in Meetings

Die Hard: Skyscraper Attack

Die Hard 2: Airport Attack

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JAPAN:

Being John Malkovich : The Hole Of Malkovich

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TAIWAIN:

Get Smart: Is The Spy Capable Or Not

20 FREE Dylan Cash Session MP3s @ Aquarium Drunkard

GDub Gets GSnub – World Leaders Refuse To Shake Hands With Bush